U.S. patent number 8,965,927 [Application Number 13/194,242] was granted by the patent office on 2015-02-24 for managing facilities.
This patent grant is currently assigned to RBM Technologies. The grantee listed for this patent is Raymond Ferrara, Brian Underwood. Invention is credited to Raymond Ferrara, Brian Underwood.
United States Patent |
8,965,927 |
Ferrara , et al. |
February 24, 2015 |
Managing facilities
Abstract
One or more servers perform functions that include: maintaining
a database including information relating to facilities that are
subject to a first entity, the facilities being dispersed
geographically, the information including geographic locations for
at least some of the facilities; receiving a first message from a
facility for which information is in the database, the first
message identifying a fixture of the facility that requires
attention, where information in the database for the facility
identifies the fixture by at least one of a designation of the
fixture and a characteristic of the fixture; sending a second
message to a second entity that has contracted with the first
entity to provide service within a geographic location of the
facility; and enabling the second entity to access the database to
identify the fixture.
Inventors: |
Ferrara; Raymond (Concord,
MA), Underwood; Brian (Cranston, RI) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ferrara; Raymond
Underwood; Brian |
Concord
Cranston |
MA
RI |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
RBM Technologies (Cambridge,
MA)
|
Family
ID: |
45698548 |
Appl.
No.: |
13/194,242 |
Filed: |
July 29, 2011 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20120054242 A1 |
Mar 1, 2012 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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61369379 |
Jul 30, 2010 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
707/783;
707/E17.005; 709/217; 707/E17.032 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
50/163 (20130101); G06F 16/13 (20190101); G06Q
10/06 (20130101); G06F 16/951 (20190101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
15/16 (20060101); G06F 17/30 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;707/783 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Toung, DH Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.--Company Report, Dec. 8, 1997.
cited by applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Hwa; Shyue Jiunn
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Fish & Richardson P.C.
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional
Application No. 61/369,379, which was filed on Jul. 30, 2010. The
content of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/369,379 is hereby
incorporated by reference into this patent application as if set
forth herein in full.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method performed by one or more servers, the method
comprising: maintaining a database comprising information relating
to facilities that are subject to a first entity, the facilities
being dispersed geographically, the information comprising
geographic locations for at least some of the facilities;
outputting data for a user interface, the user interface comprising
a layout of a facility for which information is in the database,
the layout comprising representations of fixtures arranged as at
the facility, each of the fixtures being selectable to identify one
or more predefined selectable issues that can be part of a message
for maintenance or repair; receiving, via the user interface, a
first message from the facility, the first message identifying a
fixture that is part of the facility and that requires maintenance
or repair and identifying one or more of the predefined selectable
issues, wherein information in the database for the facility
identifies the fixture by at least one of a designation of the
fixture or a characteristic of the fixture; sending a second
message to a second entity that has contracted with the first
entity to provide service within a geographic location of the
facility; enabling the second entity to access the database to
identify the fixture and to obtain information from the database to
perform the maintenance or repair on the fixture, wherein enabling
the second entity to access the database comprises hosting a portal
configured to enable the second entity to access the database,
wherein the portal comprises a Web page, and wherein the Web page
comprises a security feature to restrict access to the database;
and compiling statistics on the second entity and making the
statistics available for access by third parties over a computer
network; wherein the one or more servers comprise one or more
processing devices programmed to perform the maintaining, the
outputting, the receiving, the sending, the enabling, and the
compiling.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a
communication from the second entity, the communication for
accessing the database to identify the fixture.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information in the database
for the facility identifies the fixture by both a designation of
the fixture and a characteristic of the fixture.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the designation comprises a part
number and the characteristic comprises a functionality associated
with the fixture.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending a third
message to the first entity, the third message for confirming that
the second entity provided the attention to the fixture.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the database further comprises
information relating to entities that have contracted with the
first entity to provide services for the facilities; and wherein
the method comprises: generating a report based on the information
relating to the entities, the report organizing the information
relating to the entities; and providing the report to the first
entity.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information relating to the
entities comprises at least one of responsiveness of the entities,
costs of the entities, or capabilities of the entities.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein, prior to receiving the first
message, the method further comprises: sending a reminder to the
facility regarding an upcoming event associated with the
fixture.
9. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing
instructions that are executable by one or more servers to perform
operations comprising: maintaining a database comprising
information relating to facilities that are subject to a first
entity, the facilities being dispersed geographically, the
information comprising geographic locations for at least some of
the facilities; outputting data for a user interface, the user
interface comprising a layout of a facility for which information
is in the database, the layout comprising representations of
fixtures arranged as at the facility, each of the fixtures being
selectable to identify one or more predefined selectable issues
that can be part of a message for maintenance or repair; receiving,
via the user interface, a first message from the facility, the
first message identifying a fixture that is part of the facility
and that requires maintenance or repair and identifying one or more
of the predefined selectable issues, wherein information in the
database for the facility identifies the fixture by at least one of
a designation of the fixture or a characteristic of the fixture;
sending a second message to a second entity that has contracted
with the first entity to provide service within a geographic
location of the facility; enabling the second entity to access the
database to identify the fixture and to obtain information from the
database to perform the maintenance or repair on the fixture,
wherein enabling the second entity to access the database comprises
hosting a portal configured to enable the second entity to access
the database, wherein the portal comprises a Web page, and wherein
the Web page comprises a security feature to restrict access to the
database; and compiling statistics on the second entity and making
the statistics available for access by third parties over a
computer network.
10. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
9, wherein the operations further comprise: receiving a
communication from the second entity, the communication for
accessing the database to identify the fixture.
11. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
9, wherein the information in the database for the facility
identifies the fixture by both a designation of the fixture and a
characteristic of the fixture.
12. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
11, wherein the designation comprises a part number and the
characteristic comprises a functionality associated with the
fixture.
13. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
11, wherein the operations further comprise, prior to receiving the
first message: sending a reminder to the facility regarding an
upcoming event associated with the fixture.
14. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
9, wherein the operations further comprise: sending a third message
to the first entity, the third message for confirming that the
second entity provided the attention to the fixture.
15. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
9, wherein the database further comprises information relating to
entities that have contracted with the first entity to provide
services for the facilities; and wherein the operations further
comprise: generating a report based on the information relating to
the entities, the report organizing the information relating to the
entities; and providing the report to the first entity.
16. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim
15, wherein the information relating to the entities comprises at
least one of responsiveness of the entities, costs of the entities,
or capabilities of the entities.
17. One or more servers comprising: one or more processing devices
configured to execute instructions to perform operations
comprising: maintaining a database comprising information relating
to facilities that are subject to a first entity, the facilities
being dispersed geographically, the information comprising
geographic locations for at least some of the facilities;
outputting data for a user interface, the user interface comprising
a layout of a facility for which information is in the database,
the layout comprising representations of fixtures arranged as at
the facility, each of the fixtures being selectable to identify one
or more predefined selectable issues that can be part of a message
for maintenance or repair; receiving, via the user interface, a
first message from the facility, the first message identifying a
fixture that is part of the facility and that requires maintenance
or repair and identifying one or more of the predefined selectable
issues, wherein information in the database for the facility
identifies the fixture by at least one of a designation of the
fixture or a characteristic of the fixture; sending a second
message to a second entity that has contracted with the first
entity to provide service within a geographic location of the
facility; enabling the second entity to access the database to
identify the fixture and to obtain information from the database to
perform the maintenance or repair on the fixture, wherein enabling
the second entity to access the database comprises hosting a portal
configured to enable the second entity to access the database,
wherein the portal comprises a Web page, and wherein the Web page
comprises a security feature to restrict access to the database;
and compiling statistics on the second entity and making the
statistics available for access by third parties over a computer
network.
18. The one or more servers of claim 17, wherein the operations
further comprise: receiving a communication from the second entity,
the communication for accessing the database to identify the
fixture.
19. The one or more servers of claim 17, wherein the information in
the database for the facility identifies the fixture by both a
designation of the fixture and a characteristic of the fixture.
20. The one or more servers of claim 19, wherein the designation
comprises a part number and the characteristic comprises a
functionality associated with the fixture.
21. The one or more servers of claim 17, wherein the operations
further comprise: sending a third message to the first entity, the
third message for confirming that the second entity provided the
attention to the fixture.
22. The one or more servers of claim 17, wherein the database
further comprises information relating to entities that have
contracted with the first entity to provide services for the
facilities; and wherein the operations further comprise: generating
a report based on the information relating to the entities, the
report organizing the information relating to the entities; and
providing the report to the first entity.
23. The one or more servers of claim 22, wherein the information
relating to the entities comprises at least one of responsiveness
of the entities, costs of the entities, or capabilities of the
entities.
24. The one or more servers of claim 17, wherein the operations
further comprise, prior to receiving the first message: sending a
reminder to the facility regarding an upcoming event associated
with the fixture.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This patent application relates to managing facilities.
BACKGROUND
Companies often conduct business at many locations. This is
particularly true of retailers, which can have stores located
throughout the country. At different stores, problems can arise
that require attention, such as servicing or repair. For example,
an air conditioning system at a store in Boston may be in need of
repair, or outdoor lighting at a location in San Diego may need to
be replaced. Oftentimes, coordination of such service and repair is
left in the hands of a local store manager. This can lead to
problems. For example, there may be disparity in terms of how
service and repair is handled, leading to an experience that is not
consistent among stores. For many companies, this is undesirable.
This is especially true for retailers and, in particular for chain
stores, which try to make the shopping experience at their many
locations as consistent as possible.
SUMMARY
This patent application describes methods and apparatus, including
computer program products, for managing facilities.
Among other things, this patent application describes a system that
performs operations which may comprise: maintaining a database
comprising information relating to facilities that are subject to a
first entity, where the facilities are dispersed geographically,
and the information comprises geographic locations for at least
some of the facilities; receiving a first message from a facility
for which information is in the database, where the first message
identifies a fixture of the facility that requires attention, and
where information in the database for the facility identifies the
fixture by at least one of a designation of the fixture and a
characteristic of the fixture; sending a second message to a second
entity that has contracted with the first entity to provide service
within a geographic location of the facility; and enabling the
second entity to access the database to identify the fixture. Any
features described in this patent application may be incorporated
into the foregoing system, examples of which are as follows.
The foregoing system may also comprise hosting a portal configured
to enable messaging to one or more servers configured to implement
the system. The first message may be received through the portal.
The portal may be a Web page.
The foregoing system may also comprise hosting a portal configured
to enable the second entity to access the database; and receiving a
communication from the second entity, where the communication is
for accessing the database to identify the fixture. The portal may
be a Web page comprising a security feature to restrict access to
the database.
The information in the database for the facility may identify the
fixture by both a designation of the fixture and a characteristic
of the fixture. The designation may comprise a part number and the
characteristic may comprises a functionality associated with the
fixture. The database may comprise information relating to entities
that have contracted with the first entity to provide services for
the facilities. The system may also comprise generating a report
based on the information relating to the entities, where the report
organizes the information relating to the entities; and providing
the report to the first entity. The information relating to the
entities may comprise at least one of responsiveness of the
entities, costs of the entities, and capabilities of the
entities.
The foregoing system may also comprise sending a third message to
the second entity. The third message may be for confirming that the
second entity provided the necessary attention to the fixture.
Prior to receiving the first message, a reminder may be sent to the
facility regarding an upcoming event associated with the
fixture.
All or part of the systems and processes described herein may be
implemented as a computer program product that includes
instructions that are stored on one or more non-transitory
machine-readable storage media and that are executable on one or
more processing devices. Examples of non-transitory
machine-readable storage media include e.g., read-only memory, an
optical disk drive, memory disk drive, random access memory, and
the like. All or part of the systems and processes described herein
may be implemented as an apparatus, method, or electronic system
that may include one or more processing devices and memory to store
executable instructions to implement the stated functions.
Any two or more of the features described herein may be combined to
form implementations not specifically described in this patent
application.
The details of one or more examples are set forth in the
accompanying drawings and the description below. Further features,
aspects, and advantages will become apparent from the description,
the drawings, and the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 to 4 shows a facilities management process
conceptually.
FIG. 5 shows a system on which the facilities management process of
FIGS. 1 to 4 may be implemented.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing actions that may be performed in the
facilities management process depicted in FIGS. 1 to 4.
FIGS. 7 to 17 are examples of user interfaces that may be part of
the facilities management process depicted in FIGS. 1 to 4 and
6.
Like reference numerals in different figures indicate like
elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Described herein is a system for managing facilities. A feature of
the system includes a distinct fixture placed on a floorplan model
of each location that is modeled by the system. Some
implementations show this as a prominent fixture in the upper right
or lower left of a floorplan display area, and typically label it a
"General Maintenance" fixture. It is also possible to use different
fixture types for different location types, or even to have more
than facilities-related fixture on each floorplan.
Another feature of the system includes an administrator setup
feature that allows multiple issues types to be related to each
facilities-related fixture type. For each issue type, it is also
possible to relate a specific user or user distribution list that
should be notified when an issue of a particular type is reported.
An advanced feature also permits each user distribution list to be
further associated with a "location filter", so that it is possible
to localize who will be notified when an issue is reported. For
example, a certain user distribution list could be used for
locations in one geographical or organization category (e.g. when
the location's state is "Illinois", or the location's zip code is
12345 or the location is in Midwest region), while other user
distribution lists may be used for other geographical or
organizational categories.
Another feature of the system includes an issue/problem reporting
and resolution process that allows store personnel to report an
issue/problem and then have parties that receive the notifications
escalate the issue for approval and/or resolve the issue.
Another feature of the system includes a set of issue tracking and
resolution reports that allows company personnel to understand and
measure compliance, coverage, and response times for each issue
type. These facilities-manager-related reports are available on a
reports tab and are generally restricted to administrative level
personnel, although it is possible to allow other classes of
personnel to see these reports.
The system described herein for managing facilities may be
centralized in order to maintain relatively consistent management
of facilities across different locations. FIGS. 1 to 4 depict the
facilities management process conceptually. In this example, a
central authority 10 maintains a database 11. Database 11 includes
information about fixtures at facilities 12 to 15. These fixtures
may include anything that requires attention (e.g., servicing,
repair, replacement), including, but not limited to, windows,
lighting, HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) systems,
alarms, surveillance systems, parking lots, and roofs. The database
may correlate the facilities to their fixtures, so that each
fixture is associated with a facility.
Referring to FIG. 1, central authority 10 hosts a portal 16, e.g.,
a Web page, which allows a facility (e.g., facility 15) to advise
the central authority that there is an issue (e.g., a problem) with
a fixture at the facility or to enable the central authority to
send a reminder to the facility about an upcoming event (e.g., a
warranty expiration or scheduled maintenance of a fixture at the
facility). A user at the facility may identify the fixture through
the Web page, along with information about the issue. The Web page
provides the information to central authority 10. Referring to FIG.
2, in response to the information, central authority 10 may send a
message 19 to an agent 20 with which the company that owns the
facility has previously contracted. The message identifies the
facility and the fixture that is in need of attention. Referring to
FIG. 3, agent 20 may access database 11 to obtain information
(e.g., a part number) about the fixture that is in need of
attention. Referring to FIG. 4, agent 20 may then perform whatever
actions are necessary to attend to (e.g., service, repair, replace)
the fixture or a part thereof that needs attention.
FIG. 5 shows a system 25, on which the process depicted
conceptually in FIGS. 1 to 4 may be implemented. System 25 includes
computers 27 to 29 at corresponding facilities 30 to 32, a network
34, a server 35 at central authority 37, and network connections to
various agents 40 to 42 with which companies that own the
facilities have established contracts or that are otherwise
available to attend to issues at the facilities. Each agent may
also include one or more computers, as shown in FIG. 5.
Network 34 may include one or more networks, such as a local area
network, a wide area network, and/or the Internet. One or more of
the networks in network 34 may be wireless, such as a cellular
telephone network and a Wi-Fi network.
As shown in FIG. 5, server 35 may include one computing device 44
or multiple computing devices 44 to 46 that are at a same location
or at different locations (devices 45 and 46 are depicted using
dashed lines since more than one device need not be used). Each of
devices 44 to 46 may have the same, or similar, hardware and/or
software configuration. In an implementation, devices 44 to 46 act
together to perform various functions described herein. In other
implementations, a single device may perform all of the server
functions. In the case of multiple devices, device 44 may act as a
controller or "load balancer" for the remaining devices 45 and 46.
In this role, device 44 may route data, requests, and instructions
between a client (e.g., computer(s) at facilities and/or
computer(s) at agent(s)) and a "slave" device, such as device 46.
Device 44 may store information locally, then route data to another
device, such as device 46. For the purposes of the following, such
internal communications between device 44 and slave devices will be
assumed.
Server 35 includes a processing device 47, memory 49, and a network
interface 50. A bus system 51, including, for example, a data bus
and a motherboard, can be used to establish and control data
communication between various components of server 35.
Generally speaking, processing device 47 may include any
appropriate processor and/or logic that is capable of receiving
storing and processing data, and of communicating over network 34.
For example, processing device 47 may include one or more
microprocessors. Memory 49 can include a hard drive and a random
access memory (RAM) storage device, such as a dynamic random access
memory (DRAM), or other type(s) of machine-readable medium memory
devices.
As shown in FIG. 5, memory 49 stores computer programs 52 that are
executable by processing device 47. Among these computer programs
is a Web hosting program 54. Web hosting program 54 is executable
to host a Web site that is accessible over network 34. The Web site
may include a portal, through which users accessing the Web site
can provide information to central authority 37. The information
may include, e.g., the identity and location of a facility and the
condition of one or more fixtures at the facility, as described
below. The information entered into the portal constitutes a
message to the central facility that a fixture or fixtures requires
attention.
Server 35 also maintains a database 55. Database 55 may store,
among other things, information about facilities, such as
facilities 30 to 32. The information may include, but is not
limited, to a geographic location of each facility, including its
zip code, area code, street address, town/city, state/province,
country, continent, time zone, and telephone number. The
information may also include information identifying fixture(s) at
each facility. A fixture may be anything at the facility, including
those items that require attention, e.g., servicing, repair, and/or
replacement. As noted above, fixtures may include, but are not
limited to, windows, lighting, HVAC systems, alarms, surveillance
systems, parking lots, and roofs. Also stored in database 55 is
information about each fixture in the database. This information
may include, but is not limited to, part number(s) for a fixture, a
manufacturer of the fixture, a size of the fixture, a capacity of
the fixture (e.g., volts, watts, volume), an origin of the fixture,
a type of the fixture, a date that the fixture was manufactured, a
location of the fixture at its facility, a cost of the fixture,
acceptable alternatives to the fixture, and a color of the fixture.
This list is not exhaustive, and the database may store any
information that, e.g., describes or relates to each fixture in the
database. The same types of information may, or may not, be stored
for each fixture.
Database 55 may store information for different entities (e.g.,
companies) and their corresponding facilities. For example, the
database may store information for Wal-Mart.RTM. and for its stores
worldwide. The information that is stored may be the same for each
company and for each facility owned by that company, or it may be
different for each company and for each facility owned by that
company. In an implementation, a company may specify which
information is to be stored for that company and its facilities. In
an alternative implementation, each facility may specify which
information is to be stored for that facility.
Information may be input to database 55 via a Web site hosted by
server 35. For example, an employee at a facility may survey the
facility and input the relevant information into the database via
the Web site. Alternatively, each facility may be surveyed by a
specialist and the fixture information input to the database by the
specialist. The specialist may be an employee of a proprietor of
the database.
Database 55 associates fixtures and their information to
corresponding facilities. For example, database 55 may store
information for retail locations owned by a company. We present the
following example with a fictitious company called ABC Corporation.
ABC Corporation may have retail locations (e.g., facilities) in
Boston, New York, Los Angeles and London, UK. Database 55 may store
information for each retail location of ABC Corporation, and
associate that information to ABC Corporation. Database 55 may also
store, in association with each facility (and ABC Corporation) the
identities of one or more agents that have been contracted to
attend to fixtures at each facility. For example, ABC Corporation
may have service contracts with agent(s) nearby each facility,
which are capable of servicing, repairing and/or replacing
fixture(s) at the facility. There may be a separate agent per
fixture or the same agent may attend to two or more fixtures. The
information for each agent may include the location of the agent,
contact information for the agent, such as an electronic mail
(e-mail) address, a telephone number of the agent, a street address
of the agent, contact personnel at the agent, a zip code of the
agent, and any other information that the agent wishes to
provide.
In the fictitious example provided above, ABC Corporation may have
contracted with agents to service, repair, replace, etc. fixtures
at the various retail locations. The contracts may be based on the
geographic location of each agent and each retail location. For
example, an HVAC service in the Boston area may be contracted to
service the HVAC system in the Boston location; a roofer in the New
York area may be contracted to service the roof in the New York
location, and so on. The same may be true for other fixtures of the
various locations. In this regard, not all services may be required
for all locations. For example, ABC Corporation may contract with a
snow removal company in Boston to remove snow from the parking lot
of its Boston location. However, this service will not typically be
needed in the Los Angeles location and, therefore, there will be no
corresponding contract. Database 55 may store, in association with
each facility, identifying information each agent contracted for
that facility, as noted above.
In addition, database 55 may store identities of one or more
back-up agents for each facility. A back-up agent may be a
secondary agent in the event that a primary agent for a particular
fixture is unavailable. Contact information for one or more back-up
agents for one or more fixtures may also be stored in association
with an appropriate facility, along with conditions under with the
back-up agent(s) are to be contacted.
Server 35 may track the performance of the agents for various
facilities. For example, after an agent performs a service on a
facility, the central authority may query the agent and/or the
facility to confirm that the service was performed, how long it
took, when it was performed, the quality of the service, etc.
Server 35 may store this information in database 55 in association
with each agent. This information may form the basis of report(s)
that may be generated by server 35 to provide the company
contracting with the agent(s) (or other(s)) information about their
performance. The report(s) may be sent to computer(s) at the
companies, where they may be displayed and viewed.
Database 55 may store information like that described above for
numerous companies. Information for each company, such as that
described above, may be updated, via a Web site hosted by server
35, by authorized representatives of each company, by authorized
representatives of each facility, and/or by the central authority.
The information for each company and its facilities may be only
accessible to authorized personnel. Information for one company is
not generally accessible to other companies.
Referring back to FIG. 5, each facility and agent may include one
or more computers at their locations for communicating with server
35 over network 34. Additional hardware and/or software may be
provided at each location. For example, instead of using a Web site
to update database 55, computers at the various facilities may
include a desktop application, which may be provided by the central
authority for communication therewith. The desktop application may
be configured to communicate with database 55 over network 34, and
to update its contents as described herein.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process 60. Process 60 may be
performed, at least in part, by software running on server 35 to
manage facilities in the system of FIG. 5. In FIG. 6, process 60 is
split into a left part 61, which is performed on server 35; a
middle part 62, which is performed on a computer at a facility
(e.g., facility 30); and a right part 63, which is performed on a
computer at an agent (e.g., agent 42). It is noted, however, that
the actions shown in FIG. 6 may be assigned differently. For
example, in other implementations, actions performed by server 35
may be performed at the facilities and/or agents, and actions
performed at the facilities and/or agents may be performed at the
server.
As shown in FIG. 6, central authority 37 maintains (65) database 55
via server 35. Database 55 may be constructed based on survey(s) of
companies and their facilities and/or based on input provided
electronically, e.g., via a Web site. Database 55 may likewise be
updated (66, 67) as changes are made to its subjects. As noted,
database updates may be obtained by surveying a facility and/or by
receipt of updates provided electronically by the facility, its
company, and/or associated agent(s).
Process 60 receives (68) a message from facility 30 (69). The
message identifies the facility, e.g., by geography, company name,
or any other information. In this implementation, the message is
sent via a Web site hosted by server 35. That is, a user at
facility 30 signs onto the Web site, and enters information
relating to a fixture of the facility that requires attention. In
alternative implementation, an electronic monitoring system may be
employed to automatically identify fixtures that require attention.
In such an implementation, the electronic monitoring system may
communicate an appropriate message to server 35 automatically over
network 34.
In response to receipt of the message from facility 30, process 60
consults (70) database 55 using information from the message. In
this example, process 60 identifies a facility and fixture(s) that
require attention from information in the message. Process 60 uses
this information to look-up, in database 55, an agent that is
contracted to service (or otherwise attend to) the fixture at the
facility. In an example, process 60 uses the geographic location of
the facility and the identity of the fixture to look-up the
appropriate agent in database 55. Process 60 then sends (71) a
message to agent 42. The message identifies the fixture and the
facility that require attention. The message may also include other
information, such as a suggested timetable for service. The message
may be sent electronically (e.g., via e-mail) or via a post on a
portal maintained by the agent for the company/facility whose
fixtures are managed by the central authority. In an
implementation, the message may be relayed, e.g., by phone, from an
employee of the central authority to an employee at the agent.
Agent 42 receives (72) the message from process 60. If agent 42 is
unable to perform the required service, or to do it within a time
specified in the message or elsewhere, the agent may notify process
60. In that case, process 60 may consult the database for a
secondary agent that is contracted to perform the service.
Assuming that agent 42 is able to perform the requested service,
agent 42 proceeds with the service request. To this end, agent 42
identifies information about the facility and fixture(s) that
require service by consulting database 55. That is, the agent may
have access to database 55, e.g., through a secure Web site hosted
by server 35. The agent may use the information provided in the
message to obtain information about the facility and fixture(s).
For example, agent 42 may log onto a Web site hosted by server 35
and, in conjunction with software stored on server 35, look-up (73)
information relating to the facility and fixture(s) that is stored
in the database. Agent 42 may obtain, from the database,
information about the fixture including, e.g., one or more
designations of the fixture (e.g., its part number, model number,
manufacturer) and/or one or more characteristics of the fixture
(e.g., its wattage, size, shape, color). For example, if an HVAC
system in a facility in Boston requires repair, the agent
contracted to service HVACs in Boston may identify the facility and
the fixture that needs attention based on the message from the
central authority. The agent may then look-up, in the database, the
type, manufacturer, and identities of parts that make-up the HVAC
system at the facility in Boston. By doing so, the agent is able to
prepare itself to perform the service. For example, the agent can
ensure that it has the correct parts, tools, and personnel to
complete the service. In another example, if outdoor lighting at a
facility in Los Angeles goes out, an agent contracted to service
lighting at that facility in Los Angeles may consult the database
to identify the type, wattage and, e.g., preferred manufacturer
lighting for that facility.
Agent 42 services (74) the fixture based on the information
obtained from the database. Thereafter, the agent 42 may confirm to
process 60 that the service has been completed. Alternatively, the
agent may respond to a query (75) issued by process 60 requesting
confirmation that the service has been completed. In its response
(76), if required, the agent may include other information, such as
when the service was completed, the cost of the service, the amount
of time it took to complete the service, etc. In another
alternative, the query (75) may be sent to the facility at which
service was performed instead of, or in addition to, the agent that
performed the service. The facility may respond (77) to the query
with information relating to the service performed by the agent.
The facility may provide information similar to that provided by
the agent, along with an indication of whether the agent performed
the work satisfactorily. Database 55 may be updated (78) with
information from agent 42 and/or facility 30 relating to the
service that was performed by agent 42. The information may be
associated with the agent, since it relates to the agent's
performance. The information may also be stored on a per-service
basis. That is, the database may include a record of each service,
and associate that record to a facility, fixture, company, and/or
agent that performed the service.
The operations performed at the central authority may be automatic,
e.g., performed without the intervention of, or interaction with, a
person. Alternatively, portion(s) of the operations performed at
the central authority may be interactive.
A facility or company that owns the facility may request a report
for a particular agent, facility or service. Process 60 may respond
by consulting database 55, retrieving the appropriate information
from database 55, formatting a report (or reports), and providing
(79) the report for display, e.g., on a computer display
peripheral, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen. Reports
such as these may be useful, e.g., to monitor the performance and
cost of contracted agents, and to compare the performance and costs
of various agents. Alternatively, statistical data relating, e.g.,
to cost, service time, responsiveness, and the like may be
generated for various agents and made available by process 60 to
companies considering employing those agents.
FIGS. 7 to 17 show examples of user interfaces (UIs) that may be
generated by one or more computer programs (comprised of executable
instructions) running on server 35 to implement at least part of
process 60. These UIs may be accessible over network 34. For
example, these UIs may be Web pages that are part of a Web site
that is hosted by server 35 and that is accessible to
company/facility personnel to perform various functions, including
alerting the central authority about issues (e.g., problems) at a
facility that require attention. These UIs may also be accessible
to personnel at a central authority to perform facilities
management, as described herein.
FIG. 7 shows a UI 80 that depicts staging 81 at a facility (e.g.,
facility 30). The UI of FIG. 7 may be accessible, e.g., to
personnel at the central authority to view a facility. In this
context, staging may include the layout or floor plan of fixtures
at a facility. For example, FIG. 7 shows a floor plan 82 of a
facility, which may be consulted to perform general maintenance on
the facility. In this example, floor plan 82 shows the actual
arrangement and locations of fixtures in a facility. These fixtures
may include features such as display cases, furniture, and built-in
or portable electronics. These fixtures may also include features,
such as HVAC system equipment, lighting fixtures, and other systems
that may require attention (e.g., service/maintenance/repair).
UI 80 includes options 83 to view different campaigns (e.g.,
advertising campaigns, for which fixtures are defined), individual
fixtures, contents of a facility, comments by facility or central
authority personnel, references, surveys of fixtures in a facility
that may require attention, reports on a facility, and
announcements, e.g., by the central authority. UI 80 also includes
options 84 to edit the location of a subject facility; to identify
issues associated with that facility (e.g., fixtures that require
attention); to delete a current location of the facility; to edit
floor plan 82, e.g., to change the layout of the floor plan; to
view an image gallery showing, e.g., other floor plans or fixtures
of those floor plans; to edit an album of floor plans; to view all
content relating to the floor plan; to view orders relating to the
floor plan, e.g., orders to service a fixture at the subject
facility; and to return to a list of facilities. UI 80 includes a
pull-down menu 85 to view the subject floor plan or others, and
tabs 86 for introductions and new items. UI 80 also information
relating to general maintenance to display maintenance issues for a
fixture in the subject facility layout.
To report an issue/problem, one can just click on the "General
Maintenance" tab 87 of FIG. 7, and the fixture will expand with
additional text and a "Report Problem" button as shown in FIG. 8,
which is described below.
FIG. 8 shows a UI 90 that is generated to view information about
elements in the floorplan of FIG. 7. Selecting may be made through
pointing and clicking via a mouse. Selecting the appropriate option
causes display of general maintenance information 87 for a selected
fixture of floor plan 82. More specifically, window 91 is
generated. Window 91 is partitioned into two parts. A first part
91a includes an amplified ("zoomed") version of the original floor
plan, with the general maintenance option 87 shown. A second part
includes a window 91b and a scroll bar 92. Window 91b includes
icons 93 corresponding to fixtures in floor plan 82. Selecting an
icon causes display of an image 94 of the fixture that is
represented by the selected icon, along with a summary 92 of
information relating to the fixture. The UI may include information
95 identifying the fixture, information 96 on any issues with the
fixture that require attention, and an option 97 to report a
problem with the fixture that requires attention. Comments on the
fixture, other than problem reports, may also be provided via
window 98. Selecting option 99 brings a user back to the floor plan
view shown in FIG. 7.
When one clicks on the "Report Problem" button 97 of FIG. 8, a list
of potential issue/problems that can be reported on appears, as
shown in FIG. 9. Note that to report an issue/problem, one selects
one of the issue/problem categories, and then completes the
additional information at the bottom of the form. Some of this data
at bottom of the form, such as name and email, may be auto-filled
from a user's login information.
More specifically, in an implementation, selecting option 97 to
report a problem causes UI 100 (FIG. 9) to be displayed. UI 100
includes a customized (e.g., facility-specific) list 101 of
fixtures in the facility including those in the floor plan shown in
FIG. 7. In this regard, a facility may have more than one floor
plan, with a different floor plan for each area of a room, room,
building, etc. of the facility.
UI 100 includes radio buttons 102 next to corresponding fixtures in
the facility. The fixtures listed are specific to the particular
facility. In this implementation, associated with each fixture is a
corresponding problem. Consequently, list 101 may include the same
fixture multiple times--one for each potential problem. In this
example, HVAC 103 is listed three times--once for the "no air
conditioning" problem, once for the "no heat" problem, and once for
the "water leak" problem. Other problems, which are not shown here,
may also be included. Furthermore, fixtures may be listed without
associated problems. Those problems may be added in the message
field 104. Regardless of whether a selected fixture includes an
associated problem, message field 104 provides a user with the
opportunity to elaborate on a problem with a selected fixture
and/or to provide additional identifying information for the
fixture. Any information that one desires to communicate to the
central authority may be included in message field 104.
UI 100 also includes fields 105 for identifying the name of a
person or facility that is providing input to UI 100, a contact
e-mail address, and a phone number. UI 100 also includes an option
106 to attach an electronic image of the fixture (or any other
image). Upon selecting option 107, UI 100 generates an electronic
message to central authority 37 based on the input provided, and
sends that message over network 34. As explained above, process 60
running on server 35 at central authority uses the information
provided, including, e.g., an identity of the facility and its
location (which may be specified or inferred from, e.g., the phone
number, name or address) to look-up, in database 55, an agent that
can attend to the issue identified for the fixture, and to arrange
for service with that agent. This process may be performed
automatically, e.g., without further human interaction by personnel
at the facility or at the central authority. In other
implementations, confirmation from appropriate personnel at the
facility and/or central authority may be requested and received. UI
100 also provides an option 107 to report another problem, and
options 109 to print out the information provided and to close UI
100.
FIG. 10 is an example of a UI 110 that includes a report 111 that
is generated from information retrieved from database 55. In this
example, report 111 includes reports for the facility relating to
compliance with requirements (e.g., of an advertising campaign, of
scheduled maintenance, etc.), issues at the facility, fixture
counts, content counts, content counts by planogram (e.g., a
predefined fixture arrangement), locations list, changes, requests,
and questionnaire reports. Report 111 also includes options 112 for
viewing, downloading, and e-mailing report(s) to a specified e-mail
address.
FIG. 11 is an example of a UI 114 that includes options 115 for
selecting reports based on selections in a list, based on a type of
merchandising, and issues in need of attention. UI 114 also allows
a user to include issues that remain unresolved 116 and enables
report(s) on issues to be sorted by comment 117.
FIG. 12 is an example of a UI 120 that enables access to reports
generated from information in database 55. In this example, UI 120
includes a list of the fixtures 121, along with a report summary
section 122. The report summary section 122 allows a user to obtain
information about a particular issue, fixture or facility. In this
example, report summary section 122 identifies, for a particular
fixture, an issue 123 (e.g., a problem with a fixture), a service
status 124 (e.g., "In Progress"), and a type 125, including an
identity of the fixture and/or its location. A hyperlink 126
provides access to one or more pages containing detailed
information in the report, such as the agent who is performing the
service, or the like. A hyperlink 127 provides access to one or
more pages describing the fixture, and a hyperlink 129 provides
access to one or more pages describing fixtures and other
information at a specific location (in this case, the location of
the facility containing the fixture that requires service).
FIG. 13 is an example of a UI 130 containing a detailed report for
a fixture listed in the report summary section 122 of FIG. 12.
After an issue has been reported, there will be a flashing yellow
dot placed on the fixture to indicate that the "General
Maintenance" fixture has at least one unresolved. An appropriately
privilege user may remove the yellow dot and mark the issue/problem
as resolved by clicking on the update issue status link 135 shown
at the bottom of FIG. 12.
More specifically, FIG. 12 shows an identifier (ID) 131 of 30020
for a fixture/issue in report summary section 122. FIG. 13 shows a
detailed report for ID 30020 that is generated in response to
selecting hyperlink 126. The report contains the information shown
there, along with a hyperlink 132 to one or more pages containing
information about the facility and an option 134 to e-mail a person
who identified the issue. UI 130 also contains a hyperlink 135 to
one or more pages for updating the status of an issue associated
with ID 30020. For example, an agent performing service, a manager
at the central authority, and/or an authorized person at the
facility or parent company may update the status. The central
authority, at the instruction of the facility or the company that
owns the facility, may designate who can update the issue
status.
FIG. 14 is an example of a UI 140 allowing users to download one or
more reports generated by process 60.
The system described herein also provides administrative features
that may be implemented/performed, e.g., at the central authority
or by an appropriate administrator. To set up an issue/problem
reporting category for a "General Maintenance" fixture, it is first
necessary to create the fixture itself. After a "General
Maintenance" fixture has been set up, the next steps are to create
any desired issue/problem categories and then associate these
issue/problem categories with the fixture. For example, in FIG. 15,
a user (e.g., an administrator) may click on "add a new category"
feature 200 to create a new issue or problem category. In FIG. 16,
a user may associate a fixture type 201 with a corresponding
problem category 202. In FIG. 17 a user may associate one or more
notifications 204 (e.g., e-mail notifications) with the problem
category 203. The features of FIGS. 15 to 17 thus add, to the
system, a fixture and possible problems with that fixture.
The system described herein for managing facilities may also
include proactive alert mechanisms when certain scheduled events
(e.g., warranty expiration dates) come within a specified number of
days or weeks before the event is scheduled to occur. An alert (or
reminder) may be a precursor to actually scheduling maintenance of
a device or system in a facility. The alert may also act as a
trigger for instructing an agent to perform a scheduled or
unscheduled maintenance. Examples of types of events that the
system is configured to monitor include, e.g., warranty
expirations, scheduled maintenance calls, and planned retirement
dates. For each of these alert classes, correct information should
be pre-entered into the system for each equipment fixture or item
to be covered. Examples of this information include, but are not
limited to, warranty expiration dates, planned retirement dates, or
last actual maintenance dates for annual, quarterly, or other
scheduled maintenance. However, after the data is entered, the
system automatically detects when these dates approach, and sends
email alerts to specified parties. The system may also post alerts
on a dashboard displaying floorplan of a facility, and cause the
affected fixture items to flash visually on the displayed
floorplan.
In an example, a system administrator may request that email alerts
be sent eight weeks prior to the warranty expiration dates for any
kitchen oven or dishwashing equipment. This enables such equipment
to be reviewed and tested for problems prior to the warranty
expiration date while any repairs and replacement items will be
paid for the equipment manufacturer, potentially saving the
administrator's company thousands of dollars in equipment repair
costs. For simpler equipment, such as food preparation tables or
dishware, this time horizon can be set to a shorter period, such as
a week or two, since the review and testing of this simpler
equipment may not take as long. All thresholds and email
notifications may be set on individual instances of equipment (e.g.
Serial No. 7856-JHZ of a Bruce SH200 Convection Oven), as well as
at the equipment category level (e.g. all convection ovens).
Warranty expiration, retirement, and last scheduled maintenance
dates should be set on individual instances of equipment when the
data for these instances is entered into the system, since these
tend to be specific to individual equipment items and not equipment
categories. Also, if the equipment item has multiple types of
scheduled maintenance sessions, such as a quarterly check-up and
tuning scheduled maintenance session as well as an annual parts
inspection and replacement session, then the administrator may
enter the last performed date for each type of maintenance session.
When this is done, the system will not only activate all requested
proactive alert mechanisms when scheduled dates approach, but it
will also provide an additional notification that it may be
possible to combine multiple maintenance sessions (e.g., a
quarterly and an annual session) in one visit when these next
scheduled session dates fall within a user-specified date range,
such as within the same week.
The processes described herein extend issue/problem reporting and
tracking capabilities beyond just the merchandising collateral
issues to any conceivable and appropriate issue that can be
reported at the store level, including issue/problems related to
the physical plant, electrical or plumbing equipment, signage,
staffing or other miscellaneous issues. A sample of those issues is
shown in FIG. 9 above.
All or part of process 60 and its various modifications described
herein (hereinafter referred to as "the processes") can be
implemented, at least in part, via a computer program product,
i.e., a computer program tangibly embodied in one or more
information carriers, e.g., in one or more tangible, non-transitory
machine-readable storage media, for execution by, or to control the
operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., a programmable
processor, a computer, or multiple computers
A computer program can be written in any form of programming
language, including compiled or interpreted languages, and it can
be deployed in any form, including as a stand-alone program or as a
module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a
computing environment. A computer program can be deployed to be
executed on one computer or on multiple computers at one site or
distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a
network.
Actions associated with implementing the processes can be performed
by one or more programmable processors executing one or more
computer programs to perform the functions described herein. All or
part of the processes can be implemented as, special purpose logic
circuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) and/or an
ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit).
Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program
include, by way of example, both general and special purpose
microprocessors, and any one or more processors of any kind of
digital computer. Generally, a processor will receive instructions
and data from a read-only storage area or a random access storage
area or both. Elements of a computer (including a server) include
one or more processors for executing instructions and one or more
storage area devices for storing instructions and data. Generally,
a computer will also include, or be operatively coupled to receive
data from, or transfer data to, or both, one or more
machine-readable storage media, such as mass storage devices for
storing data, e.g., magnetic, magneto-optical disks, or optical
disks. Machine-readable storage media suitable for embodying
computer program instructions and data include all forms of
non-volatile storage area, including by way of example,
semiconductor storage area devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash
storage area devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or
removable disks; magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM
disks.
Reports and other information that are generated by process 60 may
be displayed on a computer peripheral (e.g., a monitor) associated
with a computer, e.g., at a company at a facility, at an agent, at
the central authority, or elsewhere. The display physically
transforms the computer peripheral. For example, if the computer
peripheral is an LCD display, the orientations of liquid crystals
are changed by the application of biasing voltages in a physical
transformation that is visually apparent to the user. As another
example, if the computer peripheral is a cathode ray tube (CRT),
the state of a fluorescent screen is changed by the impact of
electrons in a physical transformation that is also visually
apparent. Moreover, as indicated above, the display of a report on
a computer peripheral is tied to a particular machine, namely, the
computer peripheral.
The processes described herein are not limited to use with the
system shown in FIG. 5, and may be implemented on any appropriate
system. The processes are not limited to use in the context of
service/repair/replacement. For example, the processes may be used
to replenish missing or low stock at a retail outlet. For example,
the "issue" at a particular facility may be low stock (e.g., a
store has run out of canned soda). The facility may alert the
central authority, which may communicate to an agent who is
contracted to supply the stock--in this case, canned soda--to the
facility. The process may be automatic, as described above, or it
may include human intervention (e.g., to confirm that the new stock
is actually needed).
The processes are not limited to use in a retail context. For
example, the processes may be used to provide
service/repair/replacement for medical facilities, such as
hospitals. In this regard, hospital equipment can require periodic
servicing and/or maintenance to comply with government regulations.
The processes may be used to schedule such servicing and/or
maintenance to ensure such compliance.
Elements of different implementations described herein may be
combined to form other implementations not specifically set forth
above. Elements may be left out of the processes, computer
programs, Web pages, etc. described herein without adversely
affecting their operation. Furthermore, various separate elements
may be combined into one or more individual elements to perform the
functions described herein.
Other implementations not specifically described herein are also
within the scope of the following claims.
* * * * *